


True Love Waits

by silenciumspiritum



Category: Silent Witness (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-15
Updated: 2020-02-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:41:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22736599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silenciumspiritum/pseuds/silenciumspiritum
Summary: Set just at the end of 'True Love Waits,' (S16 E5/6) and delves into what could have happened if Jack and Nikki grew closer after some pizza. I've already posted this on fanfiction.net but thought I might as well post it here as well.
Relationships: Nikki Alexander & Jack Hodgson, Nikki Alexander/Jack Hodgson
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

“Hey was that good?” Roly spoke looking over at his young daughter who was running over after playing on the swings with Jack.

“Yep. I’m starving, can we get a pizza?” the girl beamed despite the recent loss of her mother.

A smile etched across Nikki’s face at the sheer strength of this child to pull through such a traumatising experience. The whole case had brought back harrowing memories of when she too had lost her mother.

She could remember that day so vividly even though she had only been ten at the time; her father, walking into the room, placing an arm around her shoulder and pulling her into a tight hug whilst whispering the words ‘I am so sorry,” over and over again. That was the last time her father had shown any sort of comfort towards her and not long after, he had sent her over to England to get away from all the ghosts that haunted mostly him in South Africa.

Nikki didn’t want that for Emma and after seeing her for the first time in the pub on the morning of her mother’s death, Nikki had been flooded by this overwhelming sense of protection to try and help this young girl out and do everything within her power to make sure she didn’t lose two parents in one day. And thankfully, she didn’t.

“Yeah of course we can,” the little girl’s father replied, tucking his hands into his jean pockets.

“Can Nikki and Jack come too?” Emma asked looking up towards the both of them with an expectant look on her face.

Roly sighed,“Well, erm, I think they’ve probably got better things to do.”

“Ah never say no to a pizza,”Jack answered with a hint of excitement in his voice as he glanced over at Nikki and then the girl.

Nikki interrupted, placing a hand on Emma’s back, “I think we’ve got to get back to work, I’m…”

“...spoil sport…”Jack mocked lightly.

“...Sorry,” She continued, not really taking much notice of Jack’s clear disappointment and pulling the girl into a hug, placing a kiss on the top of her head.

Jack felt his heart jump as he watched the interaction take place in front of him, he hadn’t known Nikki for long at all but there is one thing he now knew about her, she was great with kids and she would make a wonderful mother one day. He cursed himself for even thinking of something like that and tried to brush the thought away but that didn’t stop a small grin sweep across his face.

“Aw, never mind,” Roly said, smiling along with Jack at the scene unfolding in front, it was heart-warming to see his daughter be so positive at this time.

Pulling away from Emma slightly and looking down at her, Nikki spoke with a promising tone to her voice, “But we’ll see you very soon, okay?”

“Okay,” the girl agreed, still holding on to Nikki.

“Erm, thanks a lot, thanks for everything,” Roly leaned taking ahold of Nikki’s hand shaking it gently before moving to shake Jack’s hand also.

“Good luck,”Jack uttered, shaking the man’s hand back.

“Cheers, thank you, come on,” he directed at his daughter who had eventually let go of Nikki and they both began to walk back through the busy park.

Jack and Nikki watched them as the disappeared into the distance, well, Nikki did, Jack couldn’t help himself to steal a gaze at her whilst she wasn’t focused on him. She then turned back to Jack with a look on her face that signalled it was time to leave.

“I could take you out for a pizza later if you like, I feel like I should,”Jack spoke as they turned and walked towards the park exit.

“Why’s that?” Nikki asked, slightly surprised at this sudden offer.

“Well, without you I wouldn’t have a functioning oesophagus,”Jack joked causing Nikki to chuckle as they reached the gate.

Stopping at the exit, Nikki studied his strong figure, noticing how his t-shirt was just that little bit too tight and she could clearly see his defined muscles underneath, making her breath hitch. Thinking it would help, she looked up into his eyes but it only made it worse as she noticed how much they sparkled in the bright sunlight.

“Okay,” she let out softly. Feeling her cheeks heating up, she tore her eyes away from him and pushed the gate open.

“It’s a date then,” Jack laughed, walking in the opposite way to Nikki. “See you later,” he waved after her.

Nikki waved back not realising what he had just said and continued strolling in the direction of her car. Then it sunk in, spinning around on her heel she could see him stood there watching her with a huge grin on his face, he winked at her now making the whole of her face turn a dark shade of red.


	2. Chapter 2

It was a pleasant, dry evening with the lights of the man-made world illuminating the night sky. Nikki pulled into the car park and switched the engine off, letting out a small breath. She’d be lying if she’d said she wasn’t nervous about tonight. She had no idea why, it was just Jack after all; the same Jack who dragged her down a sewer at God knows what hour in the morning, the same Jack who stood by her and believed her when no one else would and the same Jack who had asked her out on a date tonight...sort of. Nikki could her feel her heart rate increase slightly and her cheeks were starting to burn up.

Shaking the thoughts away she leaned over towards the passenger’s side to retrieve her bag from the well but as she did so the door opened and tall, dark haired man clambered into her car and looked at her with a big, cheeky grin spread across his face. She could kill him sometimes.

“Are you ready or are you just going to wait inside your car all night?” Jack asked, winking at her.

A flash of confusion washed over Nikki’s face, had he been watching her? “Stalking me now are you?” She raised an eyebrow at him.

“I seen your car pull up as I was just about to go in and I thought I’d be a gentleman and wait for you but you were taking ages,” he moaned. “What were doing anyway, phoning the husband and telling him not to worry because I’m just a friend?” He laughed.

Rolling her eyes, she chuckled at him. “No,” she paused. A blush crept up her neck as she realised that the only reason she was taking forever to get out of the car was because she was thinking about him, how was she going to get out of this one? “I was just checking my make-up and my hair, didn’t want to turn up to a date looking as though I’d been dragged through a hedge backwards now, do I?” Hopefully that sounded somewhat convincing.

“So it’s definitely a date then?” The smile had returned to Jack’s face and Nikki could swear she’d seen a flash in his eye.

“I don’t know, it depends on how I feel by the end of the night,” it was Nikki’s turn to wink now. Pulling up the sleeve of her black blazer she checked the time on her watch. “Well, we better get a move on otherwise they’ll run out of pizza.”

Jack’s mouth opened in shock of what she had just said, “You’re the one that’s taking forever,” pushing the car door open he got out and waited until she had joined him before walking over to the restaurant entrance. Holding the door open for her he spoke, “After you, my lady.”  
“Oh ever the gentleman Jack, thank you,” she joked.

Once they both got inside and the waiter showed them to their table at the back of the restaurant, they began to relax but Nikki’s heart was still racing. She tried to calm it but every time she looked over at Jack it would just speed up again, this can’t be happening again, she thought to herself.

“So what are we ordering then, margherita or pepperoni?” Jack broke the silence rubbing her hands together as he looked down at the menu.

Nikki smiled, he was such a nerd sometimes, “Well, I was fancying a pepperoni.”

“Whatever you want sweetheart as long as it’s not too expensive because I’m paying,” he looked over at her and watched how her expressions change.

“No I can’t let you pay for the whole meal, we can go half instead,” she insisted, not the breaking the eye contact that they had locked.

“Like I said earlier, I owe you, so I’ll pay for it,” he paused, dropping his head down to look at the menu once again; fizzling out the ever-growing tension that had been building between them. “It’s the least I could do.”

“Fine,” Nikki gave up. “You’ll only argue with me if you don’t get your own way anyway.”

Jack chuckled to himself, as he hailed the young waiter over to their table.

-

After spending two whole hours sat in the restaurant, talking about work and family and everything else whilst eating their way through a large pizza and two desserts, they finally left and they were making their way back to their cars. Nikki had eventually convinced Jack to let her pay at least a small amount towards the bill so that she didn’t feel as bad for making him pay for the full meal.

“Well I guess that’s me then,” Nikki spoke as they reached her car. “Thank you for a lovely evening Jack I had a wonderful time.”

“It’s no problem, thanks for keeping me company,” he replied, tucking one of his hands into his jean pocket and looking down at the floor. He felt like a teenager again; the awkward goodbye when you don’t know whether you should kiss them goodbye or not.

The silence was strung out as both of them stood by the car, neither of them really knowing what to say.

“I better find my own car then and let you go home,” Jack remarked, breaking the dead air. “Unless, you want to come back to mine and have a cup of coffee or something?”  
“No, thanks,” Nikki stopped, realising how rude she must’ve sounded from the slightly disappointed expression on Jack’s face. “What I mean is, I would, I really would love to but I’ve got to be up early tomorrow. I’ve got a meeting.”

“Right, yes, of course. Sorry I shouldn’t have asked,” Jack said quickly, cursing himself for even thinking that she’d say yes. “Well, I’ll be off then, see you tomorrow Nikki.”

He turned to walk away from her but paused as he felt a small hand on his arm pulling him back to face her.

“Do I not get a hug then?” She joked reaching up to him to wrap her arms around his neck. His arms fell to her waist as he tightened the hug. Jack wished it would last forever, but if stayed holding on to her for too long, it was just make things awkward again.

Nikki pulled back slightly but not too much so that Jack’s arms were still cradling her small waist and her hands gently rested on his shoulders. She drunk in his features as her eyes roamed across his face, from his emerald green eyes, to his soft pink lips. The air between was growing thick and she knew one thing would lead to another if she didn’t say anything now.

“I should probably be getting back,” she faintly smiled.

Jack couldn’t breathe, his heart was beating out of his chest. He wanted to kiss her there and then, but was stopping him? He just couldn’t do it. You’re an idiot sometimes, he thought to himself. Gently releasing her from his grip, he returned the small smile.

“See you tomorrow then and good luck for your meeting,” he spoke quickly, wanting to get away.

“Yeah, see you,” Nikki replied, turning to her car and clambering in. She cursed herself as she sat down, she wanted to kiss him, but why didn’t she do anything.


	3. Chapter 3

A week had passed since Nikki and Jack had been on their ‘date’ and neither had spoken about it, both fearing what it could lead to; their fairly new friendship could be ruined, and Jack had only just started working at the Lyell, what if everything went wrong? He’d have to move on just as he was finding his feet and the same would go for Clarissa as well due to Jack firmly stating when he first arrived that “where he goes, Clarissa goes also.” That wouldn’t be fair on either party. Plus, they barely knew each other. Even if they were going to pursue a possible relationship they would certainly have to get to know each other a lot more first.

As Jack walked into the office he shared with Nikki, his heart dropped as he seen her sitting there, just like it had done every time she walked into the room for the past week. He couldn’t get her out of his head. He knew it was wrong and that they should probably give it time just to be really sure about one another, but Jack couldn’t take it anymore. He kept replaying the events of last week over and over again in his head, they definitely shared a moment, a moment that refused to leave his brain.

From all the pictures that were sprawled across her desk, she was finishing up on the case from the other. Mercifully, it had not been such an intense case as last week but still, just like most cases, it had been hard.

“Writing up the report?” Jack asked, noticing Nikki jumping out of her skin, he was quick to apologise.

Although he surprised her, she didn’t look up to meet his eye. She hadn’t been able to for a whole week because she knew that as soon as she did, she would crumble and fall into his arms. She didn’t want that, she wanted Jack to be different, she wanted to take things slow, to be absolutely sure. That doesn’t mean to say she doesn’t fancy him like mad, from the first time that she had seen him she knew that they had something and to be fair, he was very easy on the eye, she couldn’t deny. But as she’s got to know him over the past couple of months, she’s learnt so much more about him, one being the fact that despite his love for cage fighting and always coming across as the “hard man,” Jack was a deeply emotional person. He would never show it when he was working on a case but often, Nikki would catch his eye and she can see the pain behind them, he was so much more than he looked. But, still, Nikki wanted to be sure.

“Yes,” she replied quickly, continuing to click away at the keyboard.

Jack leaned on the back of his chair, looked down at his desk and took a deep breath. Now was the time, he was going to have to confront her at some point and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. It was only him and Nikki in the building, Leo had left for a conference and Clarissa was yet to arrive, but he knew neither were going to be in for a while so at least then he would have some time to compose himself if everything goes wrong.

Nikki quickly glanced up at Jack, noticing that he seemed to be somewhat tense. She could feel the pounding in her chest; from the way he was taking his time, she knew what the conversation they were about to have was going to be about and she wasn’t sure if she could face it.

“Nikki we…” Jack began before the phone on her desk started ringing, great.

-

Both Nikki and Jack arrived at the crime scene about half an hour later. The building was almost pitch black, the only light bleeding in through the cracks of the bordered-up windows. It would almost have been heavenly if it weren’t for the dead body lying in the middle of the floor. Walking over to the body, Nikki could see that he was young, this was going to be another tough one. Placing her case on the floor, she knelt down and opened it up. Removing her torch from its holder, she proceeded to carry out her initial assessment.

She could feel Jack standing behind her, watching over her whilst also mentally processing the scene.

Breaking the silence, Jack spoke, “What did that to his arm?”

“I don’t know, it’s definitely not rat bites,” Nikki answered, continuing to assess the body.

“Apparently he fell from heaven,” Jack looked up towards the ceiling, where the body had been previously resting. “Has anybody moved the debris?” He directed to DI Cherry.

“Only what was needed to support the roof,” the DI replied. “Don’t want any more surprises.”

“Who found him?” Jack continued with his questions as he moved around the room, shining a torch upwards, trying to get an understanding of what had happened.

“Couple of developers, they pulled this ladder out of the way, it was holding up the ceiling,” the DI watched Jack as he walked around.

“The developers?” Jack questioned, confused.

“Yeah you know,” the DI paused. “Apartments of the future; windmills, solar panels, that sort of thing.”

Somewhat happy with her initial assessment, Nikki stood up and took down a few notes and observations in her notebook. Her eyes flicked up to Jack as he wandered around behind her again.

“Anything you need from the body?” She queried, continuing to write in her notebook.

“No, he’s all yours,” Jack joked lightly. Once again, he shined his torch up towards the ceiling, confusion as to what had happened washing over him. It was crucial that he had all the evidence that was necessary, but he needed to get up there to be thorough and collect everything.

DI Cherry had obviously picked up on this when he said, “You really need to be up there?”

“Once we’ve cleared the floor,” Jack thought for a moment. “What was this building?”

“Brimstead fields? It was a convalescent home for TB patients. It was closed in the sixties,” the DI informed him.

“Now you’ll have a site manager breathing down your neck to get the bulldozers in.”

“He can breathe all he likes. No one’s coming in here till I say so,” the DI spoke firmly.

A small smirk spread across Jacks face, he was going to like this detective, which made a change. He gazed over to Nikki who was helping the rest of the team load the body into the bag. He wasn’t sure when he’d get another chance to speak to Nikki alone, but he hoped it was soon because he wasn’t sure how much longer he could bear.


	4. Chapter 4

Jack burst into the lab, making Nikki jump for the second time that day.

“Anything for me yet?” Jack asked, putting on his gloves and making his way over to Nikki who was still retrieving evidence from the body.

Not looking up, Nikki answered him, “The rest of his clothes…help yourself. Two pounds fifty, a set of car keys and no ID of any kind,” she paused, a thought popping into her head. “Did they find a car?” She turned to face Jack, but he had his back to her, busy fiddling with the evidence bags.

“Not that I know of,” he replied, spinning around he walked back over to the body, leaning on the slab. “What about the damage to his arm?”

“I think he did it to himself,” setting down her down her pen and test tube, she joined Jack. “There’s flesh in his teeth and tooth marks on the bone. I’ll get micro CT and DNA to confirm.”

“That’s one hell of a case of the munchies,” Jack scoffed. “Did you get his fingerprints?”

“The skin is too far gone,” she sighed. Nothing was ever simple, she thought.

“Clarissa might be able to lift something from the water bottle,” he offered, hopefully bringing some light into the case.

The cogs were turning in her head, yet another thought clicked, “Yeah I don’t understand that, a full bottle of water and he didn’t even touch it.”

“Maybe it isn’t water,” Jack turned back to the evidence bags and picked them up. “I better go and analyse these then. See you later,” and then he was gone.

It wasn’t long before Nikki had finished up with the body, well all that she could do for now anyway. As she headed for the changing rooms, she removed her apron and her gloves, placing them in the bin. Her brows furrowed as she noticed a dark figure sat on the bench. It could only be one person, but why was he sat there?

“Jack, what are you doing here?” She called out, making him jump this time.

“I was waiting for you,” he stood up and strolled over to her. “I wanted to talk to you earlier, but we were interrupted.”

“Ah,” Nikki knew that was coming at some point, they couldn’t hold it off any longer. She could feel her heart rate increase, just as it had done that morning and the heat was crawling up her neck. “Look, Jack…” she started but was soon cut off.

“No, hear me out,” he took a deep breath, he needed to take his time with this. “We can take it slow. I’m aware that you’ve been hurt badly in the past and that’s the last thing I want to do. It’ll be on your terms and I don’t mind waiting, I just wanted things to be clear between us, so I don’t get my hopes up if this ends up going nowhere. I’d rather deal with the heartbreak now than later when it’ll hurt too much.”

Wow, Nikki pondered. That was the most he’s ever said in the whole time he’s been here. She couldn’t argue with what he said, especially since he had been so gentleman about it, and taking things slow would be the best thing for them. She could feel the smile spreading across her face and as she looked up to Jack, there was a smile on his face too.

“Okay,” she spoke after what felt like forever. “But like you said, my terms.”

“Absolutely,” he beamed, not sure if what was happening was actually real.

“So, can you leave so I can get changed please,” she grinned, winking at him.

Jack began to fluster, a hint of redness creeping up on him, “Of course, yeah, sorry,” he started to back out of the room before coming to a halt when Nikki called his name, “Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

“No problem. I’ll see you in the meeting room?” He asked.

Nikki nodded in reply which seemed to satisfy Jack, so he went to leave. But as he rounded the corner he seen Leo stood there, obviously waiting for the two to finish their conversation before he interrupted. Jack’s face returned to it’s serious mode, not wanting to seem unprofessional in front of the Professor.

“Jack, I was hoping to bump into you actually,” Leo spoke. “Follow me.”

They both headed back into the changing rooms, luckily Nikki hadn’t started changing yet.

Leo cleared his throat, “I’ve got a black-tie bash tomorrow and I was wondering if you’d stand in for me,” he addressed to the both of them. “Nikki, you’ve done it before?”

“Will we know anyone?” Nikki wondered.

“Oh, it’s the usual forensic forum crowd, will be good for the both of you, be good the Lyell Centre,” Leo smiled, turning to leave, obviously not taking no for answer.

“If we have to I suppose,” Jack exhaled, not wanting to seem interested but all he could think about was seeing Nikki all dressed up.

“Thanks,” Leo called out as he left.

“Looking forward to it,” Jack winked at Nikki.


	5. Chapter 5

Nikki walked into the lab, wearing a black mesh dress with a green undercoat and a black belt wrapping around her waist. She quickly glanced at Jack as she passed him, he was wearing the shirt and jeans he wore earlier.

“Wow,” Jack whistled, looking up at her.

She suddenly felt very flushed but to maintain her demeanour she drooped her head down and continued her journey to Leo’s office.

After a couple of minutes, she exited from the office and made her way back through the lab where she could see that Jack was still sat at the table.

“Aren’t you going to get ready?” She spoke out, creeping up on him.

Jack turned in his chair to face her, “I’m just finishing this up. It’ll only take me ten minutes to get ready anyway.”

“Sure,” Nikki rolled her eyes. “That’s what they all say.”

“Want me to pick you up from yours in half an hour then?” Jack asked.

“You’re driving?” She remarked.

“No,” he paused. “I’m getting a taxi. I just thought it would be easier if we shared, plus there’ll be less chance of you getting lost and falling into the arms of another man.”

“Didn’t have you down as the jealous type Jack,” she winked, winding him up.

“I’m not jealous,” he replied in a matter of fact way.

“They all say that as well,” she chuckled as she sauntered back out of the room.

-

Half and hour later, Nikki was just touching up her makeup when she heard a knock at her door. Her heart sank, she knew she shouldn’t be nervous because it was just Jack but who knew where this night would lead to? Taking a deep breath, she grabbed her handbag and made her way to the door. She could see the outline of his shape in the window, pushing the handle down, she opened the door.

Nikki’s breath hitched as she took his frame in, her eyes darted up and down his body. She couldn’t deny that he looked so handsome. He should wear suits more often, she thought to herself.

“You scrub up well,” she smiled at him, watching his face turn a light shade of pink at her compliment.  
“What this? Oh, it’s nothing,” he brushed off.

Nikki rolled her eyes, linking her arm with his, they made their way to the taxi.

They arrived at the hotel about ten minutes later, Jack had sized up the building, he could tell that this was going to be an extremely posh dinner, something which he was absolutely not used to. Nikki could sense his apprehension so in hope of calming him, she slipped her hand into his. Jack looked down at the adjoined hands, he squeezed her hand back and they made their way into the hotel.

Letting go of her hand, Jack went off in search of a drink for the both of them. Just as Jack had left her, she could see a familiar face making their way over to her.

“Dr Nikki Alexander isn’t it? You probably won’t remember me but I’m…” the man started but was soon cut off by Nikki.”

“James Embleton,” she paused. “I do remember.”

“Well I can’t say I’m not pleased,” James beamed, pulling Nikki in for a hug and kissing her on the cheek. “How have you been?”

“Yeah, I’ve been, uh, okay,” Nikki stuttered. She glanced up to see Jack heading straight for them, two drinks in his hand. “Ah, James this is Jack Hodgson, my colleague. Jack this is James Embleton.”

Jack nodded at James quickly before passing one of the glasses to Nikki.

“Nice to meet you James,” Jack offered his hand out, not wanting to seem impolite even though he could sense that this guy was stuck up his own arse.

“It’s Lord Embleton now actually,” James stated, shaking Jack’s hand.

Nikki very quickly noticed the distressed look on James’ face as Jack shook his hand. Obviously, Jack was warning him off. A smirk spread across her face. Deciding that the tension between them was getting a bit too much, she interrupted them.

“James, do you know if there is a seating plan?” She asked.

“Uh, yeah. If you just go through there,” he answered, pointing towards an open door where the tables were all set. “You should be able to find your names.”

“Thank you,” Nikki smiled before turning and walking through to the other door; Jack hot on her tail.

“Who does that guy think he is?” Jack barked, catching up to her.

“He’s nice enough,” Nikki grinned, knowing that it was annoying him.  
Jack sighed, typical Nikki, he thought. She always had to see the good in people. But then he supposed that that was what he loved most about her, she was an amazing person that never had anything bad to say about anybody, even if they had wronged her.

“But he is so full of himself and he clearly fancies you,” he scoffed, his Northern Irish accent becoming more prominent, the more irritated he got.

“I thought you didn’t get jealous,” Nikki stopped to look up at him.

“I don’t,” he breathed, he could feel himself starting to sweat. “It’s just he was a bit full on and it doesn’t sit well with me.”

“Whatever,” Nikki rolled her eyes at him once again and continued to search for their names.

After a couple of minutes, they finally found their name cards and much to Jack’s dismay, he wasn’t sat to Nikki thanks to the last-minute change. He could feel himself getting even more agitated as he seen James’ name card right next to Nikki’s. He could quite easily swap his card with James’, but he wanted to prove to Nikki that he wasn’t jealous, so he decided to leave them as they were. At least they were all on the same table, so he could keep an eye on James.

Not long after they had found their seats, it was time for dinner. All throughout the dinner Jack had watched James flirt with Nikki and he could tell that Nikki was trying her hardest to make him jealous, she had such a wicked sense of humour sometimes. He had quickly clocked onto this so decided he would talk to the woman next to him, two can play at that game, he thought. And it seemed to be working as he could Nikki’s eyes burning into him.

It had finally come to the end of the evening and people were beginning to leave. Nikki was saying goodbye to James as Jack joined her.

“Where are we going now?” Jack questioned, not particularly wanting the night to end.

“I don’t mind, although my feet are killing me,” she moaned. “Fancy a drink back at mine?”


	6. Chapter 6

As they walked into Nikki’s apartment, Jack helped Nikki to take her coat off before hanging it up on the coat rack. A smile washed over Nikki’s face as she made her way through to the kitchen. 

“I know what you were doing tonight,” Nikki called out to Jack who was now taking his own jacket off. 

“I don’t know what you mean,” Jack beamed as he poked his head around the doorframe and joined her in the kitchen. 

“Speaking to that woman and trying to make me jealous,” she made eye contact with him, making sure he couldn’t worm his way out.

Jack raised his eyebrows and edged closer to Nikki, not letting the eye contact drop, “Well I could say the same thing about you. You spoke to that James for the whole night.”

Nikki shrugged her shoulders, “I didn’t think you’d mind seeing as you insisted that you don’t get jealous,” she grinned. “Coffee?”

Finally breaking the contact, she turned to get two mugs down from the cupboard but she could feel Jacks eyes watching her every move. 

Jack sighed, “So maybe I was a little jealous.”

“A little bit?” She scoffed, interrupting him.

“Okay,” Jack held his hands up. “I was very jealous but it’s only because I like you so much.”

She instantly blushed at his words, “Jack,” she breathed. “I thought we were meant to be taking things slow.”

“Sorry, it’s just seeing you in that dress and you paying so much attention to another man,” he paused. “I can’t help the way I feel Nikki.” He stepped closer towards her.

Nikki felt her breath hitched as the hairs on the back of her neck stood up on ends, “Sugar?” She asked.

He placed a hand on hers, “You know as much as I do, I don’t want a coffee and I’m sure you don’t either.”

Nikki shook her head, “So much for taking things slow,” she rolled her eyes at herself. “I don’t want to rush things because I’ve been hurt so much in the past and I want to be absolutely sure but I just want you to be mine,” she turned to face him, running a finger along the buttons of his shirt.  
“Come here,” Jack exhaled, wrapping an arm around her neck, he pulled her into a hug. He felt Nikki’s body relax as he held on to her. “I meant what I said earlier, I’m happy to take this at the same pace that you want.”

Nikki let go slowly but remained in his arms, “So, what would you say if I said that I don’t want to take it as slow as I initially said? Because after tonight, it’s made me realise that I’m so sick of waiting for things to ha…” 

She was interrupted by Jacks lips on her own. At first she was taken back before she came crashing down back to earth and realised what was going on and she leaned into him, deepening the kiss. Jacks hands ran through her blonde locks whilst her hands fumbled with his shirt. Their lips parted as Jack felt her unbuttoning his shirt. 

“Are you sure about this?” He asked. 

Nikki nodded, “Absolutely.” 

-

“How about that coffee then?” Nikki asked as she walked back into the bedroom, tying up her dressing gown, she sat down on the edge of the bed. 

Jack smirked, sitting up, “A coffee would be perfect.”

Nikki leaned over and placed a kiss on Jacks lips before standing up and leaving the room. She couldn’t wipe the smile off her face as she walked through to her kitchen. Biting her lip, she continued to make the coffees that she had started earlier. 

As she poured the boiling water into the mugs, she felt arms snake around her waist and a pair of lips planting kisses across her neck and shoulders. Goosebumps covered her body as she tried to concentrate on making the drinks. 

“I was going to bring this to you,” she spoke. 

“I know but I couldn’t wait that long without you,” Jack replied in between kisses. 

“You can be really sometimes you know that,” she chuckled, turning around in his arms to face him and wrapping her arms around his neck. Her lips collided with his as the passion that had only just sizzled down began to resurface again. 

Nikki pulled away, “How about we watch a movie? I’m pretty sure I’ve got some ice cream in the freezer.” 

“I couldn’t think of anything better,” he grinned, letting go of her and grabbing his coffee. “I’ll go and pick one out.” Jack headed back towards the bedroom.

-

They hadn’t made it through twenty minutes of the film before Nikki had fallen asleep, Jack looked down, still running his hands through her hair as she rested her head on his chest. Reaching over and turning the TV off, Jack closed his eyes and joined her in a blissful slumber.


	7. Chapter 7

The harsh beeping off an alarm seeped into Nikki's dreams, slowly waking her up from her slumber. Barely opening her eyes, she reached her arm out from the warmth and started patting her hand around on the bedside table in search of the off button. After what felt like forever she finally pressed the switch swamping the room in quiet once again.

"Thank god for that," a deep voice mumbled next to her.

She turned her head and smiled as she saw him cocooned underneath the blankets and pillows. She chuckled to herself, it amazed her how someone could carry themselves around in the way that Jack did, with such strength and determination could yet look so peaceful and calm, as if nothing in the world could touch them. Reaching out, she cupped his cheek in her palm and gently ran her thumb along his short stubble.

"Back to reality today," she breathed, breaking the silence.

His eyes fluttered open, "Hmm," he groaned, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her closer to him. "Better make the most of the next hour or so then."

Jack could feel himself starting to drift off again, hugging Nikki tighter he let his eyes slowly close. He could smell the shampoo on her hair, something floral with a hint of coconut. He also made out the faint, sweet smell of her perfume from last night. He really could spend the rest of his life lying like this, with Nikki in his arms, learning every little detail about her. Every little detail that taught him something new. There was so much he didn't know and so much he was anxious to learn. What kind of breakfast does she have? Does she even eat breakfast? He was interrupted from his thoughts when Nikki spoke.

"What happens now?"

"What do you mean what happens now?" He asked, not finding the willpower to open his eyes just yet.

"Well, I don't know," she paused. "What do we do at work?"

"Nikki," he decided now would probably be a good time to open his eyes. "We carry on like normal, yeah? I'm assuming you want to keep us on the down low and I'm more than happy to do that. I want to have you for myself for a little while anyway before people start delighting us with their opinions." He started tracing his fingers up her body, feeling her shiver at his touch made him smile. It hadn't quite sunk in yet that he was currently lying in bed with the Nikki Alexander who had terrified yet excited him from the moment they met. His fingers eventually landed on her head, brushing little strands out of her face he continued, "However, I'm not sure how long we'll be able to keep it a secret from Clarissa, she must have a sixth sense or something but she knows anything and everything."

Jack watched as Nikki's mouth formed into a grin, "Leo's not far behind her either so it may be quite difficult keeping it to ourselves."

"Challenge accepted," Jack winked.

"I'll be fine, I've got self control unlike some people," Nikki replied, poking him in the rib.

"Right, okay," he spoke, sitting up and looking back down at her staring up at him. "I bet you, you will not be able to last six hours before you're dragging me into a dark corner and having your wicked way with me."

"Hmm," she thought about it for a moment. "I give you four hours."

"Deal."

"Deal."

Leaning down, he planted a kiss on her lips. That was another thing he didn't think he could ever get used to. The softness of her lips on his, the way she let out a little moan from the back of her throat and her hands simultaneously stroking the hair on the back of his neck whilst pulling him closer to her. He ran his tongue along her bottom lip, asking for permission which was happily granted. Reluctantly, he pulled away from her, if they carried on like that they'd both be late for work and then people would really start asking questions.

"Loser has to buy the other dinner," Nikki rolled her eyes as Jack leapt out of bed and made his way into the kitchen.

It was half ten when Nikki made her way back into the Lyell Centre, she hadn't seen Jack since she dropped him back off at his this morning. Was it bad that she missed him already? Maybe she didn't have as much self control as she had proclaimed earlier that morning. Walking through to her desk, she placed her bag on the floor as Leo left his office to greet her.

"How did it go?" He asked.

She sighed, it had probably been one of the hardest inquests she'd had to do, "Tom Hancock wouldn't keep quiet. The ushers had to take him outside."

"What, he missed his own son's inquest?"

"Well, the Coroner let him back in once he calmed down," she replied, taking her blazer off and setting it down on the chair.

"Odd though, isn't it?"

"What?" Nikki looked up at him, if she was being totally honest she wasn't paying much attention, she had other things on her mind and she was currently trying to figure out where said thing was.

"You found small cell tumours in the lungs and glioblastoma invaded the brainstem, and then there's the Fanconi syndrome," Leo reeled off.

Nikki's eyes darted around the room, where was he? She turned her focus back to Leo when she realised he'd stopped talking, "So, what are you getting at?"

"Well, that's two separate synchronous primaries, one of which is vanishingly rare in children. And the Fanconi syndrome, that's also rare. And also present in the Brimstead Field case."

That caught Nikki's attention, bringing her back to the room, "Are you saying they're related?"

Just as her focus returned back to the case, the main cause of her distraction sauntered into the room. She felt her heart drop, she definitely didn't have as much self control as she thought but being the competitive person she is, she was not going to give in to Jack of all people. Pushing her thoughts to the back of her mind, she took a deep breath and tried her hardest to focus on the case in hand.

"Can I show you two something?" Jack spoke, his eyes glanced at Leo's before landing on Nikki's, remaining there just a tad too long. Something which didn't go unnoticed by Leo; shaking his head, he led the way into the observation room.

Jack rounded the table in the observation room, passing DI Cherry and stopping at the screen. "I think Brian Blackburn knows more than he's saying," he started. "So, I got the ID photos of his staff on the sheltered housing project. I've been comparing the faces to our subject." He swiped to a picture of a young boy, "No good." And another, "No good. And then," He stopped as he pulled the picture up of a boy who looked distinctly similar to the body they found. "Nikki, what do you think?"

"Well," she paused, she was starting to feel flustered, what was he doing to her? She had to focus on the case otherwise they'd never solve it. Taking a breath, she continued. "We should get a 3-D scan and do it properly. But you're right. That's a good match."

"Colin Connor had been working under a false name, and I'm sure Brian Blackburn knew," Jack finished.

"Good work Jack," Leo nodded, flashing him a quick smile before turning to leave, DI Cherry and Nikki not far behind him. Before she could get out the door Nikki stopped in her tracks as she heard Jack call her name. Spinning on her heel, she faced him, trying her hardest to remain professional and not completely crumble under his gaze.

"Can I talk to you for a minute please?" He gave her a cheeky grin, now that was dangerous.

"Sure," looking behind her, she checked to see if Leo and DI Cherry were there before she did anything that would surely blow their cover. "I thought we were meant to be keeping things quiet?" She edged closer to him. "We've been at work for about three and a half hours so I think that means I've won?"

"Uhh, I just wanted to ask you how you would go about making a 3-D scan of someone's skull? I've heard all about it before but I've never had the opportunity to see someone actually do it," Jack questioned, his face full of confusion but there was a glint in his eye.

Nikki's face dropped, she wasn't expecting that, "Oh, well first you'd start off by taking the sk-" She was interrupted by Jack's hands cupping her cheeks and his lips on hers, now she really was confused but she had definitely won the bet.

Pulling away from her slightly, he kept his hands on her cheeks, a broad smile across his face that reached his eyes, "I know it's only been three and a half hours but I've missed you."

Nikki tried to hide the smirk forming, "I won."

"I suppose you have," bending down he whispered in her ear. "Totally didn't do it on purpose."

Nikki felt the goosebumps form all over her body as a shiver ran down her spine, Jack really was something else, he was making her feel like a teenager all over again.

"You're such an idiot," she let out a small chuckle as she playfully tapped him on the arm before making her way to leave with Jack hot on her tail. They walked through the hallway quietly, their hands gently brushing every now and then before reaching their desks. As Nikki was about to sit down at hers, she heard that familiar whirring sound as Clarissa rounded the corner.

"Ah Nikki, there you are," she began. "There is a Lord Embleton waiting outside for you." Clarissa raised her eyebrows and gave Nikki that typical Clarissa look that she gives when she's about to wind someone up.

"Thank you," Nikki replied.

Nikki tried to ignore the glare that Jack was giving her as she walked towards the front door of the Lyell and sure enough James was stood there with a somewhat hopeful look on his face. This couldn't be good, Nikki thought to herself. Opening the door, she politely smiled at him.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

"Uh, this might seem a bit forward and please tell me if I'm being out of order but," he paused. "Would you like to go for lunch sometime?"

Nikki knew that her face had already said a thousand words judging by James' reaction. It didn't help that she could feel Jack's eyes boring into the back of her head, maybe flirting with James to make Jack jealous wasn't the best thing to do.

"I'm really sorry," she started. "I may have given you the complete wrong impression, no, I have given you the wrong impression. I'm sort of with someone right now and I'm happy. Very happy."

"He's a lucky man. No guesses for who," he sighed. "Well, it was worth a try anyway."

"I'm sorry, again. It was nice seeing you again though."

James nodded, the disappointment clear on his face, "And you." He made no hesitation to leave as he headed for the main doors, Nikki couldn't blame him. Sighing, she turned and returned back to her desk. She noticed that Jack had quickly tried to turn his attention back to his computer.

"Was that a Lord Embleton I saw?" Leo inquired, walking towards the coffee machine behind Nikki's desk. Grabbing a cup from the side, he proceeded to make himself a drink.

"Maybe," Nikki's eyes flicked up to Jack who was doing a very bad job at pretending not to listen, but if he was going to be like that then she might as well wind him up just that little bit more. "He asked if I wanted to go for lunch with him sometime."

"Oh," Leo stood up straight, looking at Nikki first and then to Jack, expecting a reaction from him but found himself surprised when he was met with nothing. He turned back to Nikki, "What did you say?"

"Well, that is for me to know and for you to find out," Nikki winked at him before standing up and strolling over to the shelf behind Jack's desk.

"Very well," not totally fulfilled by that answer but deciding it was probably best to leave it, Leo returned to his office.

Picking up one of the books from the shelf, she slowly edged herself towards Jack until she reached his desk where she perched herself on top. She tried to hide her giggle as she watched him doing his best to ignore her.

"Jack?" She called, "Jack?" She tilted her head towards him trying to catch his eye but he continued to stare at his screen. Rolling her eyes, she reached out and started tracing her finger along his shoulder, as she got to the top of his collar, she dragged her finger down the opening of his shirt. By the time she arrived at the second button, his hand captured her wrist stopping her movements.

"If you carry on like that we are going to get caught," he said, his voice deep and hushed. Nikki felt the blood rush around her body. "I will not be able to stop myself."

Closing her eyes, she tried to refocus herself on why she was trying to get his attention in the first place, "I said no, by the way."

"I know," he grinned, letting go of her wrist, stretching his arms out before placing both of his hands on the back of his head. "Why would you say yes to him when you've got me? I mean, have you seen me Nikki?"

Nikki scoffed, rolling her eyes once again. She poked him in the chest, making him wince, "Well maybe if you get on with your work instead of flirting with me then you'd be able to stare at yourself in the mirror for longer."

"I wasn't the one flirting," he quipped. He looked up at her winking, smiling as he saw the blush creeping up on her cheeks. Just as he was about to place his hand on her thigh he quickly retracted when he heard DI Cherry calling his name.


End file.
